


Whenever You Breathe Out, I Breathe In

by Aladris



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Action/Adventure, Assassination, Canon Universe, Established Relationship, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Mission Fic, Post-Chairman Election Arc, Shounen-ai
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 15:07:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30124653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aladris/pseuds/Aladris
Summary: Killua has returned to the family trade... at least for the time being. Gon goes to visit him in Padokea and reveals that someone is after his life! Killua is determined to eliminate the threat to his best friend, but the adventure will take some unexpected twists and turns when Gon insists that he's coming with him.
Relationships: Gon Freecs/Killua Zoldyck
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Whenever You Breathe Out, I Breathe In

**Author's Note:**

> This story is based off a scene planned for my other fic, Conflict of Interest. However, I'm very stuck on that story so I thought it would be better to make this its own separate thing. Also this will probably be quite rough. I’m sorry. >__<
> 
> The title comes from the Modest Mouse song of the same name.
> 
> (Hunter x Hunter does not belong to me.)

It was a warm day in Padokea. Killua and Gon were currently in town, the latter having come to visit his best friend after some time apart. For Killua, it was a good excuse to get off the mountain.

After travelling around the world with Alluka for a number of years, she had surprised him by revealing that she wanted to return home and help with running the family business. Killua was bad at saying no to his beloved little sister. Besides, the reason they were travelling at all was for her benefit. He didn’t have much of a choice but to return home with her, then taking up his old job while he was at it… at least for the time being, he would return to assassination he thought. Until he decided what to do next.

Taking life one step at a time, it was something he had learned to do over the course of the past few (at times crazy) years.

It had been a very pleasant surprise to reunite with Gon, who was currently hanging out with Killua daily in Padokea. Gon could not use nen anymore. He meditated every day however, not giving up on the hope of regaining his ability.

After reuniting, their relationship had stepped into a kind of strange space which was hard to put a name on. Killua was pretty sure that they were no longer  _ boy friends _ but  _ boyfriends, _ but then again, the transition had kind of just happened naturally, without any fanfare or demarcation or anything. He was about fifty percent sure that they were boyfriends now, no space in between. Then again, one could never be really sure about anything with Gon.

Said nature-loving boy was currently eating sherbet out of a glass bowl, the icy treat pink and orange and yellow, bright as the boy consuming it. He licked the spoon and Killua took a bite of his own ice cream, chewing thoughtfully. His flavor was called ‘mud slide’ and admittedly, it was little more than chocolate ice cream floating in a pool of chocolate syrup. That didn’t make it any less tasty though.

Through the lazy warmth of the afternoon, Gon said suddenly, “Hey, Killua?”

Killua glanced at him sidelong. “Hm?”

“Did I tell you that someone’s been trying to kill me?”

Killua choked on his chocolate confection, coughing fitfully before inhaling deeply. He fixed his boyfriend (50% probability) with an outrageous expression, demanding an explanation.

“Yeah,” Gon raised his eyes to the sky, as if the thought that someone was out for his life was just a minor inconvenience. “They sent assassins out to get me. It’s happened a few times before I came to visit you. But ever since we’ve been hanging out, they’ve stopped.” Gon then looked back at Killua, smiling brightly. “You’re like my good luck charm.”

“Gon?!” Killua still could not believe this guy’s nonchalance, never mind the fact that Gon had just said something very nice and sweet about him. Oh, Killua was blushing now. He could feel the warmth on his face. To counter it, he stuffed his cheeks with ice cream, swallowing it down without tasting it much before saying, “You would think to mention something as serious as this a bit earlier!” He pointed his spoon at Gon accusingly.

Gon frowned, apparently not liking seeing Killua upset. “It’s okay, Killua. I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

Killua took a deep breath, trying to recenter himself. He shoved a hand through his hair. “Do you know who’s out to get you? Any suspicions?” Gon shook his head and Killua nodded, expecting the response. That was pretty typical in assassination. “Any idea about the motive?”

“Well…” Gon put a hand to his chin. The sherbet in his bowl was melting from his inattention, becoming a swirly mess of pastels. “I have a feeling that it has to do with Ging.”

“Ging,” Killua echoed flatly.

“Uh huh.” Gon lifted the spoon to his mouth, not seeming to mind that his sherbet was just liquid now. “The attempts started  _ after _ I met Ging during the chairman election.” That had already been two years ago.

“I see,” Killua said, absently scraping at the bottom of his emptied bowl. “It was pretty well publicised, your reunion.”

“Yeah,” Gon agreed. “Ging has lots of enemies.” Killua nodded. That much was clear, judging based on the audience’s overwhelmingly positive reaction after Leorio had punched the guy during the election. Let’s not forget, the audience was comprised of the world’s entire population of Hunters. Ging was not a popular man, that much was very clear.

“So after we met and everyone saw, I think it probably gave his enemies the idea that they could damage him through me,” Gon finished matter-of-factly.

Killua leaned his elbow on the table, chin on his hand. “Have you told Ging about it?”

“Yeah.”

“And what did he say?”

Gon thought for a moment, apparently trying to recall the exact words. “‘Deal with it yourself. You’re a Hunter, aren’t you?’”

Killua stared at his best friend for a moment, mouth slightly hanging open. Finally he commented, “Your dad’s a deadbeat.”

Gon gave this embarrassed smile, like he was embarrassed  _ for _ his father. “Lots of people do say that.”

“He is,” Killua insisted, frowning. “Haven’t you told him that you can’t use nen anymore? What if the assassins are nen users? Are they? Have they been?” Killua could hear his voice rising a bit, feeling a bit nervous at the realization that Gon’s life had been in danger several times within the past few years. He hadn’t even known about it… 

And here Gon was, his expression smooth like it was all the same to him.

He had one crazy kid for a best friend.

“Some of them could use nen,” Gon admitted. “But even if they could, they were sloppy. Even though I can’t use nen anymore, I still have my natural strength.” Gon flexed his bicep (which wasn’t very impressive, seeing as they were still quite young), giving Killua a confident grin. The white-haired boy reached over the table, hitting Gon on the head.

“Killua!” Gon whined, grabbing the offending spot and shielding it from further harm.

Killua sat back against his chair, pretending like nothing happened. “You’ll have to deal with the problem at the source. Whoever put a hit on you, you’ve got to get rid of them. Otherwise the attempts won’t stop.”

“Yeah.” Gon was rubbing his head, nodding absently. “I should take care of it soon, ne? It’s been quiet for awhile but I’m not sure how long the break will last.” Amber eyes examined the ground thoughtfully for a moment before pulling up, grabbing Killua’s attention. “And I don’t want to put  _ you _ in danger because of this.”

Killua glared at him, though it wasn’t hostile. “You should be worrying about yourself. How are you going to take care of it? Ging apparently isn’t going to help you.” Gon nodded sadly. “You have no leads. Obviously there’s only one way to solve this.” Killua closed his eyes, took a breath, then fixed Gon with a determined look. “I’ll take care of it for you.”

Gon’s eyes widened, incredulous at the suggestion. Then they hardened stubbornly. “Killua, no.”

Killua ignored him, equally as stubborn. “I have access to all the resources. It’ll be easy for me to figure out who’s responsible.” The assassin wasn’t bluffing, it truly was that easy for him, seeing how he belonged to the most elite family of assassins in the world. The job did come with some perks after all, niche as they were.

“Why?” Gon demanded, getting upset at the proposal. “This isn’t your problem.”

“It has to do with you, Gon.” The words made his face burn, but Killua was getting sort of angry too. “Of course it’s my problem.”

“It’s not your job to clean up my mess!” The dark-haired boy stood up suddenly, bracing his arms against the tabletop. His eyebrows were slanted low across his burning eyes. “We aren’t kids anymore, Killua!”

Killua mirrored him, his chair screeching in protest as it was forcefully pushed back. “Don’t tell me what to do. Gon, I’ll do what I want to!”

Foreheads butting against each other, the two boys exchanged glares for a good half minute, attracting the attention of many bystanders. Finally, Gon broke the stalemate by reaching into the pocket of his shorts, pulling out some bills and coins without counting the quantity. He slapped them onto the tabletop before storming away, back out onto the street. Killua cursed, adding a few more bills to the pile in case Gon had come up short. He quickly caught up with his best friend, jamming his hands into the pockets of his shorts.

It was still a bit raw, the emotions from two years ago. It wasn’t something easy to forget and, Killua understood Gon. He understood the other boy’s desire to prove that he had learned something from the ordeal. Even though it wasn’t necessary to be so purposeful… he was still dealing with the consequences to this day, after all. But when something hit so close to the nerve, still sensitive, it was reasonable for Gon to get defensive. Killua too. The assassin chanced a look at his partner out of the corner of his eye. He was a little surprised to see Gon sheepishly doing the same as him.

The two boys blushed before simultaneously looking away. Gon spoke first. “I’m sorry, Killua. You know… what I meant,” Gon apologized haltingly.

“I’m not mad. I get it.” Killua scratched the back of his head, also feeling embarrassed. “Still, I think you should let me deal with this, or at least help you.”

“I don’t want to bother you too much,” Gon said, rubbing his arm. His large eyes were a bit stormy, reflecting an internal conflict which was probably too complex to voice on the spot. “Since you have… other things going on now.”

Another reminder of how the times had changed. They were no longer preteens without a care in the world, with only a burning sense of adventure to guide them along. “It’s not… I mean…” Killua ran a hand through his hair, sighing. He took a different tack. “Work has been slow recently. I don’t really have a lot going on, so I don’t mind.” Of course, to Killua it wasn’t a matter of convenience or debt. But he couldn’t really tell Gon that, and the dark-haired boy probably wouldn’t accept such selfless reasoning anyway. The assassin waited nervously as he watched Gon’s face, resignation slowly creeping onto his features. “Okay?”

Finally, Gon gave a short nod and that was that. With nothing else to say, the two boys walked along with no destination in mind. The light grew fainter as dusk settled at the foot of the mountain. From the downward set to Gon’s mouth, Killua could tell the other boy was still not pleased about the turn events had taken. At the end of the day, Gon was still Gon and he had his pride. Killua could understand this. There was an identical part inside of him, too.

Only when Gon could push him away before, it was impossible now.

Every so often, their hands would bump into each other as they walked, knuckles brushing or the backs of their fingers. Finally, Killua had enough of this so he thought, “Screw this. You only live once.” With the philosophy of a true teenager, he grabbed Gon’s hand unequivocally, then challenged the other boy to say something. Yes, his face was burning but we won’t talk about that.

The only thing that registered on Gon’s lovely face was surprise, then a mirroring blush to Killua’s. In the middle of the street they stopped.

“Killua?”

“Mm.”

“We’re boyfriends now, aren’t we?”

Killua resisted the urge to ask whether there was a space in between the compound word. “Yeah,” he said, licking his lips nervously. He watched as Gon’s large eyes tracked the movement carefully.

“That means we can do that kissing thing, right?” The apple of his sunkissed throat bobbed, charmingly uncertain. “Whenever we want?”

Okay, so Killua was one-hundred percent certain now.

They were  _ boyfriends _ \-- one word.

“Hell yeah,” he breathed, and that was the last thing either of them could say for quite some time.


End file.
